Description

Looking for an easy and fun 5.6 gear lead? Look elsewhere.

Squeezing the Lemmon rates this a 5.6 and gives it a star, which is absurd. climbaz.com gives this a 5.9, which may be a bit too rough. Still, this isn't the place to learn gear placing skills in a mellow environment. The climb follows a chimey-ish corner for about 40 feet and then turns up a flaring groove up to a pair of chains. There's very little to recommend here.

I disagree. I wouldn't say this climb was stellar, but I had fun on it. I certainly didn't think it was a 5.9!!! The pro was all pretty solid. I don't remember feeling that any of it was particularly runout.

Bottom line: if you are visiting for a short while, skip this one. Go climb Chimney Rock or something on North Fin. If you are looking for a decent little 5.6+ that you haven't done, this one isn't that bad. At the very least, you get to practice some finger locks and stemming at the start.

Defnitely not 5.6. Maybe not 5.9 either, but I think a 5.7 leader would be a bit unhappy at the crux of this one. Agree that it's not great but worth doing if you've exhausted the rest of Green Slabs. Just don't be surprised if it's the hardest 5.6 you've seen.

I do not like this climb, and I have a strong suspicion that it is dangerous for the unintitiated...

Rock Candy does have some fun and interesting moves (as Bobby Hanson points out) and my hat is off to anyone who nails this route onsight -- including the first ascensionists -- but think about this one carefully if you are a genuine 5.6 or 5.7 leader -- maybe top rope it first?

Calling Rock Candy a 5.6 has always bothered me, and I would NEVER put a beginning leader on this route. If you are secure with leading 5.8s, and you have a goodly amount of trad-climbing under your belt, it should be a snap for you. But the hand placements of the pro on this route are trickier than you might think/ expect. I would rather solo this climb than try to adequately protect it, although Bobby Hanson found it securely protectable.

Scott Tucker's evaluation is probably valid -- in giving it a 5.7 rating for onsight leaders -- though it may only be 5.6 for top ropers or those leaders who are used to doing 5.10s.

After rainfalls, this crack can get VERY muddy, very loose!

As Almonzo and Bobby Hanson both put it, there are far better routes in the 5.6 to 5.7 bracket elsewhere -- maybe you should find one?

There is a second pitch here as well. The second pitch truly is runout, and goes up the face across the gully from the top of the first pitch. It has been many years since I climbed it, but I would guess it to be a 5.8R (or possibly X) face climb. If I remember correctly, there are some small nut placements to be had. This pitch certainly is NOT recommended (though I did have fun leading it).

Rock Candy is tough for 5.6 and will give moderate leaders a grunty time, especially those not well versed in body-jamming. It is not a particularly pleasant route in my opinion. I've never wished I could un-climb a route, but this would be a candidate.

I would 2nd Christians sentiments and call it a 5.7 unless you're a body jamming expert. Maybe I'm a glutton for punishment but i had fun on the climb and found it worth doing. Repeating?, maybe not but definitely worth doing once. Got to share a [required] hold at the end with a bat that politely nudged his way to the opposite end of the hole when i perched my fingers in on just the outer edge there. May want to peek into holds, where possible, to avoid getting bit by one of these critters.

I think this is a great climb. 5.6 is probably a bit optimistic, tho. 5.7 or 5.7+ would probably be reasonable. The second pitch off the back of the ledge above is worth checking out at least once, too.

FWIW, Michele did use this as an early lead to learn the ins and outs of placing gear. Despite the awkwardness of the climb, the gear is good.